Chapter 5

Amazed and baffled by the appearance of the new scouts, a silence fell over the group.

"Who are you?!?"

With a toss of her head, the purple-haired one snapped "It doesn't matter. Let's get out of here before 'Misty' comes back."

"We can only disperse her for a short amount of time," explained the green-haired one. "Come on; follow us and we'll get you to safety." She started off, followed closely by 'Mars'.

The Scouts hung back a moment. "Can we trust them?" Amy asked.

"Do we have a choice?" asked Lita.

'Jupiter' looked back at them. "Come on!" she called, then ran after the purple-haired girl. After a look about them, the Scouts followed as well.

The scenery was as different from Tokyo as Serena could imagine. Debris was strewn everywhere, making the area more closely resemble a crash site than a city. The streets, while completely devoid of people, gave the distinct feeling of being watched. The air was thick with a heavy funk, a smell tangible in its putridness.

"What's wrong?" 'Jupiter asked. "One would think you're not used to this. What, did you just fall out of the sky?"

"Well, actually..." Mina challenged.

"Get ready," 'Mars' barked. They had come to a sheer drop of about 20 feet.

Serena threw a worried look to her friends. "We're not going down there, I hope," but was quickly shushed by a simultaneous glare from Raye and the purple-haired girl. 'Mars' and 'Jupiter' walked up to the edge of the drop, then muttered an incantation.&nbsp In an instant, matter seemed to shift and the world turned black.

Gradually, the world came into focus. When Serena came to, a smiling red-haired girl stood over her. "Hello, friend. Sorry, the matter-transfer process tends to create some discomfort to those unaccustomed." Serena gave a blank look. The red-haired girl laughed. "All right, let me start over. My name is Athena. Welcome to the Resistance."